Fake sales increase on Black Friday 2023

More discounts and bigger savings were also found, compared to previous year

Analysis of Black Friday 2023 from price comparison service, PriceSpy, based on activity on its site, has found:

• 11% of deals were fake (increased in price between 1st October and the Sunday before Black Friday, to then be ‘reduced’ for Black Friday), including:

  • 15% of sports and outdoor equipment

  • 20% of skincare

  • This number is up from Black Friday 2022, when 10% of deals were fake
    
    

• 22% of products across PriceSpy were more expensive on Black Friday than they were at the start of November, including:

  • 27% of games and consoles

  • 24% of running shoes

  • This number is less than Black Friday 2022, when 25% of products were more expensive on Black Friday than they were at the start of November

• 39% of products across PriceSpy were cheaper on Black Friday than they were at the start of November (the average saving was 26%*). Some of the best discounts were on:

  • 41% of footwear

  • 51% of mobile phones

• This number is more than Black Friday 2022, when 35% of products were cheaper on Black Friday than they were at the start of November - with an average saving of 22%*

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, UK country manager at PriceSpy, comments: "It’s refreshing to see that Black Friday shoppers were able to make bigger savings on a bigger range of products than last year. However, it’s disappointing that we’ve seen fake sales gradually creep up too. 

 

 

"Shoppers will now be pinning their hopes on continued discounting in the run up to Christmas to snap up offers which weren't available on Black Friday. For those that can wait a little longer, we know that Boxing Day is the next best day after Black Friday to get a good deal - especially on items such as mobile phones, TVs and shoes. 

 

 

“The easiest way to ensure you’re getting a good, genuine discount is to compare prices across multiple retailers and check the price history"

Perfume and airfryers among the most popular items on Black Friday

The most popular product types were:

• Perfume

• Mobile phones

• Headphones

• Airfryers

• Game consoles

The most popular specific products were:

• Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) 825GB

• Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF400 9,5L

• Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Airfryer AF300 7,6L

• Dyson Supersonic

• Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Over-ear Headset

These are similar findings to Black Friday 2022, when perfume, mobile phones and airfryers were the most popular.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett continues: “These products are reliably popular on Black Friday, thanks in part to the typically widespread advertising of deals from both brands and retailers. However, these same products might not actually be at their best price of the year on Black Friday. For example, last year we found that mobile phones were cheapest on Boxing Day and airfryers cheapest on New Year’s Day.”

 

 

“Whilst we don’t have a crystal ball, given the low level of discount on these products on Black Friday, there’s a high chance that better offers will be found before the year’s out.”

 

Products which were trending this year, compared to last:

• VR headsets: popularity up by 121%

• Backpacks: popularity up by 38%

• Home cinema systems: popularity up by +30%

• Hairdryers: popularity up by 25%

• Jumpers & Fleeces: popularity up by 21%

-ends-

Notes to editors

 * On products with a discount of 10% or more

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